By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor
To understand why U.S. women’s water polo is so exceptional one has only to look at the California Interscholastic Federation – Southern Section, the massive compilation of 250 girls high school teams located in Southern California, the most fertile and competitive water polo region in America.
SoCal is a tough place to win, and Devin Hurst, head coach for the Royal High School girls water polo team, has won there twice.
In 2015 and 2016 his Lady Highlanders team won back-to-back CIF-SS Division 4 titles, a remarkable feat by any measure. Hurst, who starred as a player for the Highlanders from 1986-90, returned to coach at his alma mater in 1996. In 2000 he took over the girls program, leading Royal to a CIF title game in 2004. After a six year break to start an age-group program with legendary coach Hank Toring, Hurst returned to lead Royal to championship wins, ably assisted by his oldest daughter Jenna. Now a freshman at UCLA, from 2012-16 the oldest of Hurst’s three daughters scored a school record 364 goals while earning 2015 CIF Division 4 Player of the Year honors.
Hurst spoke with Swimming World about his career in the sport, including playing at Pepperdine for legendary coach Terry Schroeder, his transition from playing to coaching at Royal High School and coaching daughters Jenna and Snyder at Royal—but losing youngest child Gracie to Simi Valley powerhouse Oaks Christian and former Pepperdine teammate Jack Kocur.
How did you get your start in water polo?
I went through my Royal high school career—didn’t win any major championships—we won league titles. Individually I did fairly well—All-American honors. Going to Pepperdine was incredible. It was a dream of mine to play under Terry. He was an idol that I always wanted to be coached by.
As far as being taught by Schroeder, one thing that stands out: he’s an inspirational and motivating coach that’s unmatched. And you know when he’s upset with you. It’s not because he’s yelling and screaming at you, his demeanor… it’s like when your dad is disappointed in you. It’s the same kind of look that Schroeder would give you. Man, that motivated me more than anything and most of the guys on our team felt the same way.
After Pepperdine I went and trained with the national team for a year. Just prior to that I was selected for the Olympic Festival team in St. Louis. My squad won a gold medal and that was an experience. A little after that I played for the national team for a year and then hung up our sport as a player.
I saw the writing on the wall for ’96. There were quite a few returning players from the ’92 squad and there were a few guys who had been playing on my juniors team who looked like they were ahead of me as well.
I was looking at not making it in ’96 and then it would be another four years to go to 2000. My focus changed in life—I met a girl and changed my perspective quite a bit [laughs].
How did you migrate from playing polo to coaching in high school – and for Royal High School, no less?
Photo Courtesy: Devin Hurst
I got away from the sport for a little bit and then came back to it as an assistant coach at Royal underneath a coach who had been there a long time, Steve Snyder. I was his assistant for 8-10 years.
I started an age-group program with Hank Toring. Hank had a granddaughter, Bailey Moore, who was the same age as my oldest daughter Jenna. Meanwhile I took over the Royal High School girls program—which was only about two years old at that point.
My goal when I first took it over was to win in four years. We fell a little short. We made the quarterfinals that first year then two semifinal appearances and then made the finals—and the year that we made it was unfortunate for us. The opponent that we met was Santa Barbara, who went undefeated and beat everybody in Orange County with Kami Craig [3-time Olympian; 2-time Peter J. Cutino Award winner]. She was a senior that year and they beat us by six or seven in the finals. She was pretty much fantastic.
I walked away from the sport for a bit but did some things with Jack [Kocur]–he started a group called the Pepperdine Water Polo Club. It was separate from Pepperdine but we called it the “Waves” because we were both graduates. It was more of an older boys club—you had to have some talent to be on the squad. It wasn’t very big; we had U16 and U18 squads—Alex Rodriguez was involved with that too—he coached the 18s and Jack and I coached the 16s.
We ended up winning a Junior Olympics championship in Florida with our 16s and 18s, which was quite an accomplishment.
I’d been away from high school [polo] and I came back in 2011. I came back one year prior to when Jenna came into high school to get the program settled into the way that I wanted it to run. A group of freshmen who had been playing club water polo for me came in at the same time that next year.
My goal when I took back over was to win it in four years and we were able to do that—and the fifth year as well.
This year we dropped off a bit. We got moved to the top CIF division—Division 1—and made the playoffs but fell short [Royal lost to Dos Pueblos 18-6 in the first round of the 2017 CIF-SS State Championship].
You’re coaching girls’ polo in the highest level of high school water polo in the nation, and winning. How do you do it?
Definitely the time put in. Like anything else [that’s what you need] to be successful. These girls started at 10 and 11 and grew through age group programs.
We always went to the tournaments that the best teams were at and set our targets at those.
The first time we’d get beat by 20 and the next time we’d get beat by 15, showing the girls that we were making progress. Within two years we were within five goals because the girls really committed and played a lot of water polo.
You’ve got to add scrimmages and playing but our main focus was body positioning and fundamentals right off the bat. Not only that it, was being aggressive. Even at a young age we taught partner swimming where they would swim side-by-side. You were not allowed to swim in a straight line; you had to be like a NASCAR racer and run into the player next to you and figure out a way to get in front of that player.
We were always very aggressive in the transition game and on the perimeter at a very young age. That grew as they grew and the culture shock as they got older—it wasn’t a big deal to them.
Not only were they used to taking contact they were used to giving it as well.
There’s a lot more grabbing and holding on the girls’ side. I had to figure out a way and even ask the girls where they were being grabbed and to come up with strategies about how to do that.
Let’s talk about your daughters; Jenna, Sydney and Gracie have not only played for you but have excelled in the sport. How is it to have your kids not only playing but excelling under your tutelage?
Jenna, Devin, Gracie, Sydney Hurst.
Jenna started a bit like me. When I coached at Royal High School those first few years she would come to the pool with me. I’d be coaching and walking up and down the deck and she’d have her little goggles on swimming underneath and following me back and forth. Eventually a ball was produced and she started using it and getting in with the high school girls, even though she was much younger.
She was one of the main recruits for UCLA this year. It took a lot of hard work but she definitely had the talent and the genetics to be a good water polo athlete. She’s one of the most intelligent players that I’ve seen in high school water polo. Bringing that to college water polo is certainly going to help her.
She’s not a big girl—she’s 5-6—but they always say you play bigger in the water. But it does matter when you’re playing against Brigitta Games from USC or Kami Craig. Her quickness definitely helps her equalize that [as does] her intelligence, her tenacity and her conditioning level.
All three are different. Sydney wasn’t as interested in water polo but finally came back to it at 12 and really got into the ODP scene—she was excited about that—and has really developed. She doesn’t have the speed that her sister has, she’s a little bigger sized girl. She has moves that are very impressive, more powerful than Jenna.
And little one [Gracie]. Only 14, she combines both girls [but] has this extra thing which is “Win at any cost.” Skill-wise, growing up with her sisters, learning from them and being in the water constantly from a very young age. Some of the moves she’s trying are advanced—well before most of the girls that I’ve trained—foot moves over girl’s heads, spin moves, backhands constantly. And she’s super-fast speed, super-fast twitch, which is a huge bonus in our sport.
She’s just this little firecracker and doesn’t fear [anything].
But she’s not going to follow her sisters and play for you at Royal High School…
She’s going to go to Oaks Christian. Me being around there [Hurst is an assistant coach with the boys team] and Gracie having these friends who go to Oaks Christian and being on the campus—it’s a world-class facility as a sports complex. Everything’s high tech, everything’s first class.
I was talking with her, saying: “Hey Gracie, let’s try Royal one year, you and Sydney will get to play together…” But she’s focused on what she wants.
I think it’s just a perfect fit for her, so how can I deny Gracie if that’s what she truly wants?